This area of the courtyard gets scant sun from end of Nov., so what better time for garden construction? Motivated by recent draught and desire to conserve water, i’m experimenting with sinking the garden beds below the paths. i figure it’s like hair – if i don’t like the haircut, it’ll grow back in.

02. one of the 18″ holes at the “U” end of a bed that has just been “lasagna” composted for 12″, keeping it 6″ below the path, which is built up with some of excavated hard pan.

03. 1st layer of kitchen scraps on top of some reedy plant material – the breathing tubes. within 8 weeks, i expect these kitchen scraps to be converted to composted soil.

05. ready for next layer of kitchen scraps & a “worm transplant” from another active compost site. note border of nasturium transplants along outside

06. newly composted bed (right) , raised path (left).most of beds are cover-cropped with clover when they’re finished, but i decided to plant some of the bulk room fava beans adjacent to the transplanted volunteers.

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar well. Add the egg, and beat until smooth. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt, and add this to the butter-sugar-egg mix, alternating with the milk. Spoon this batter over the apple slices. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the cake is golden brown. Cool slightly before cutting.

people often ask about using the solar oven so today i decided to document roasting a whole chicken.
first, i soaked the whole chicken in a brine for 3-4 hrs (organic- Mary’s Farm, sold at Galleria. i prefer Mary’s whole chicken to her scrawny legs.).

i opened the oven to pre-heat at 10:30 am, leaving a brick in it to absorb the heat so the oven won’t bake itself before i put the food in. It was sunny & 75 degrees outside with no wind.

Pacific Electric is a full service electrical and solar contracting firm and a worker owned coop. They are having a kick off party at the L.A. Eco Village on Friday, April 25 at 6pm and you are invited.

Make sure to check out their website to get an idea of the range of services they can provide and some cool pictures of their portfolio: www.pacificelectric.coop

More info on the event:

What: Pacific electric coop kick off party. Enjoy some homemade food, locally brewed beer and cider. Music by DJ Nova Jade. Live music by Pawing at the Ceiling. Featuring locally crafted pendant lights by Melba Thorne.

2. Please show up at the meeting tomorrow. It is enough to stand up and be counted, when one of the speakers tells everyone in support of the resolution to stand up. If you want to speak, you will have about a minute. The most important message you can give is that you are an LA resident, you are concerned about safety, and you support the resolution. If you are not from LA, it would be most helpful to stand up and be counted, since the Councilmembers will prioritize LA constituents.

WHEN: The council meets tomorrow, Friday, December 14 at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 200 North Spring Street. Please arrive at 9:30 to have time to go through security.